Organization Quest

More Organization Breakthroughs: Small Changes, Big Impact

Earlier in the week, I wrote about my Big Organization Breakthrough, which involved re-configuring the space for three rooms:  moving the floor-to-ceiling PAX shelving units from a small bedroom to the living room; moving the master bedroom to the small bedroom; and creating a studio/den out of the master bedroom.  These changes took a lot of time, a lot of energy, and were not without expense.  But another change has likewise made a huge impact in our day-to-day lives and not only is it super simple, it doesn’t cost a cent.

 

We run our dishwasher every night.  And we unload it every morning.

 

I don’t know why this didn’t occur to us before:  it just seemed sort of wasteful to run the dishwasher unless it was completely full.  But we weren’t very good at gauging just how much we could fit in the washer, so inevitably we would have an overflow of dirty dishes, and then while we ran the washer more dishes would pile up, so that by the time we got around to unloading it,  we’d have an overflow of dishes again. 

 

Now we run the washer even if it’s half (or less than half!) full.  We do this at night, after dinner.  In the morning, in-between feeding the cats and making the morning tea, we (okay, Alpay) unloads the washer.  The empty washer makes it easy to put in any dishes that accumulate during the day, keeping the kitchen tidy, clean, and presentable.  The only downside is that the whole are-the-dishes-dirty-or-are-they-clean? rigamarole we used to engage in on a daily basis no longer takes place, and after 20 years, I’d sort of gotten used to it.  If anyone has any ideas on how we can annoy each other anew, I’m open for suggestions.

Paperwork Associated With Tasks: An Alternate Approach

Last night I outlined the new process that I've been using that seems to  work in terms of getting things done and not losing paperwork associated with tasks.  While I stand by my new system of keeping a limited number of unlabeled files with the thought of going through them regularly (i.e. at least three or four times a week as time permits) one of my goals with this blog is to try to generate additional approaches or ideas that might be useful to others. 

I can definitely see the appeal, for instance, of creating permanent "to-do" folders with set categories that are labeled accordingly.  I've tried this approach myself a number of times, but for me what happens is that as soon as I've "filed" something in that way, I experience it not as a "to do" but as "done".  What I like about  my new approach is how the striped-pattern folders hold a special meaning for me, specifically, "this is something you need to do."  And I like going through the folders often--at least every other day--and seeing what I can do in the time I have available.  This is altogether a different approach than the old "standing folders" strategy, which I'll outline below.

The idea of "standing to-do folders," is to identify those categories that you often encounter in terms of tasks or to-dos.  You then make folders accordingly.  One advantage of this approach is that since these folders are permanent--unlike my new system where the content of the folders is undergoing a constant turnover--you can actually label the folders, which is nice. 

To help you get started, here's a list of categories I might use, if I was using the standing to-do folder approach:

• Calls
• Correspondence
• Events
• Files to Make
• Numbers to Input
• Review
• Read

Even with this list, however, it's interesting to note that several items mentioned in yesterday's post don't really fit in any of these categories (i.e. the need to enable a PIN or to order airline tickets).  The refusal for such tasks to fit into easy categories is another reason why I think the standing to-do folder technique failed for me.  If any readers have had success with this technique, I would love to hear your story.

Why I Can't Fly With The Flylady

When it comes to organizing, the best system is the one you come up with to suit your particular life circumstances.  Systems devised by others can give you ideas, but it rarely works when you try to follow them to the letter.   Not that I haven't tried.  There's something irresistible about other people's systems,  the promise being that if only you could stick to a system, you'd never be caught with an empty fridge or messy living room ever again.

One of the most popular organizing systems has to be Flylady's. While I have nothing but respect for Marla Cilley (aka the Flylady, so named for her love of fly-fishing), I can't make heads or tails of her system, which involves a complex series of overlapping and interconnecting events, tasks, reminders, and routines.  As far as I can tell, the flylady's system consists of:

• a morning routine, which includes making the bed, doing laundry, cleaning the toilet, and reconciling your check book daily, along with "hitting a hot spot" or clearing a cluttered area;
• an evening routine, in which you clean the kitchen and living room for "20 minutes, tops" but then you continue doing chores like laying out your clothes for the next day and setting the table in preparation for breakfast.  These additional chores  are not counted in the aforementioned "20 minutes";
• a weekly routine, in which on Monday alone you vacuum all the rooms, change sheets, empty trash, mop, and dust; the rest of the days are for errands/grocery shopping, desk time, and doing things like cleaning the refrigerator, polishing shoes, mending clothes, and cleaning out your purse;
• 15 minutes of "zone" cleaning, in which you declutter/deep clean an area of your home. Under the flylady's system, the zone must be decluttered before "deep cleaning" (i.e. washing windows or attacking cobwebs) can take place;
• a "hot spot fire drill"--which appears to be a daily event tied to the morning routine, above; it also appears in the evening;
• 15 minutes on a "flyspot"--I'm not sure if this is a daily or weekly event, or if it's related to a "hot spot" or not; a recent example on the flylady website was to declutter the kitchen counters for 5 (not 15) minutes.  Presumably this was in addition to any other "decluttering" in the "zone";
• a daily "mission," like cleaning the garbage can in the kitchen.  This is to be done only if the "zone" has been "decluttered";
• a 5-minute, daily  "room rescue" for your most cluttered room;
• a "27 fling boogie" in which you throw 27 things away; I'm not sure if this is a daily event or not.

In addition, there are optional "early afternoon" routines, "after school" routines, and "late afternoon" routines. There's also a subscription service to keep you on track, resulting in about 16 or 17 emails a day reminding you to go to bed or get off the computer, as well as to check on your laundry or start dinner.

Adding up the time, I came up with:

• About an hour for the morning routine, not counting showering, getting dressed, or otherwise getting yourself ready;
• 30 minutes for the evening routine, not counting making dinner;
• An hour or more for the weekly routine chores
• 15 minutes in the zone
• maybe 20 minutes for the fire drill
• Let's say 5-10 minutes for the flyspot
• Another 5-10 minutes for the mission
• 5 minutes for the room rescue
• 10 minutes for the 27 fling boogie

So by my account, the least amount of time you'd need in order to follow flylady's system would be 3 and a half hours a day  non-stop; more like five  if you count doing laundry throughout the day, as well as doing regular chores not mentioned in the routines and lists, like ironing, or making dinner and setting the table (which is what the "late afternoon" routine is for). In fact, it's a very good  schedule if you happen to be home all day and don't have a regular job, kids, or outside interests of any kind. No wonder I could never follow the system!

While I typed up my own room-by-room chore list last week, what I've found to be the most helpful in keeping me squared away remains the "ground zero" approach:  whatever calls my attention the most is what I work on, when I have the chance to do so.  Sometimes this means tackling the bathroom; other times it's picking up my study or preparing enough food to last a couple days during the week. I may run out of clean socks on occasion, but it's a small price to pay for having a life.

Downloadable, Editable Chore Lists, Cross-Referenced By Room and Frequency

All right Questers, I've been busy.  I took the chore lists from the last four posts and cross-referenced them by room and by frequency of chore.  Then I researched a way to link the two documents, so if you edit one list, you automatically update the other.

Now here's the fun part:  if you use Windows XP and have Microsoft Office 2003, you can customize the Chore List By Room to reflect the specific things you need to do, and the Chore Schedule will automatically update accordingly.  Just be sure to make any changes to the Chore List By Room file and not the other way around.  Also, when opening the Chore Schedule, a window with the following message will appear:

This document contains links that may refer to other files.  Do you want to update this document with the data from the linked files?

Say "yes" (otherwise the link between the two files will be broken)

Here are the two Microsoft Office 2003 documents:

Download Chore list by room Word doc

Download Chore schedule Word doc

For those of you who aren't on Windows XP or don't have MS Office 2003, here are pdfs of the lists; you won't be able to edit these, but perhaps seeing the list by both room and frequency may be of use to you:

Download Chore list by room pdf

Download Chore schedule pdf

What To Do When Chore List Part IV: Bedrooms

Why are bedrooms so tough to maintain?  You'd think that since the bed alone takes up so much space,  the bedroomshould theoretically be the easiest room in the house to clean--just make the bed and you're halfway there.  But I've noticed that bedrooms often get the short shrift when it comes to cleaning and organizing, perhaps because the relatively private nature of the room pushes it down on the list of chores.  I know our bedroom tends to be a clutter magnet: heaps of clean laundry, piles of books, and all kinds of what-not seem to find its way onto the bedside chair or the vanity or the chest of drawers.  When that happens, I know it's time to get tough and re-claim the space for its intended purpose, as a place for rest, relaxation, and enjoyment.

Daily

• Make the bed (in theory; as I've mentioned in the past, I can't seem to actually do this)
• Hang/fold clothes worn that day and put away or put in hamper
• Put away shoes and accessories worn that day

Several Times a Week

• Sweep or vacuum
• Tidy: put things back into drawers, keep surfaces clear 
• Tackle laundry: wash/dry, iron, fold, put away

Weekly or Every-Other-Week: "Clean the Bedroom Basics"

• Dust/polish furniture  
• Dust picture frames and knickknacks doo-dads useless decorative stuff accessories 
• Polish mirrors 
• Sweep/vacuum under bed
• Mop (if hardwood floors)
• Clean baseboards 
• Attack encroaching cobwebs 

Regular Extras

• Clear cobwebs
• Clean filter on heater/AC 
• Wipe light fixtures
• Wipe around light switch
• Wash walls
• Wash windows
• Rotate knickknacks doo-dads useless decorative stuff accessories 
• Steam carpet

Spring Cleaning Extras--1x/2x year or as needed

• Steam upholstered furniture 
• Steam/clean drapes 
• Wash screens  
• Go through closet and purge clothes/accessories
• Tidy closets and drawers

The What-to-do-When Chore List, Part I: Bathrooms

This fall, I wrote a post in which I basically mocked the idea of the what-to-do-when chore list as being compulsive and unnecessary.  I've since noticed that one of the top three google searches that land viewers onto the Quest are for . . . well, you guessed it. Moreover,  I've since re-discovered the satisfaction of checking items off a list.  And after talking with others who have more complicated arrangments for household maintenance, I also see the value of a list for those assigning chores to children, for those with hired help,  or for roommates splitting up the housework.  So here's my take on what needs to be done when in the bathroom, when it comes to chores:

Daily

• Scoop the poop from the litter box
• Sweep/vacuum excess litter from floor

• Wipe off sink/vanity with a paper towel after use

Several Times a Week

• Completely replace cat litter
• Replace hand towels

Weekly or Every-Other-Week: "Clean the Bathroom Basics"

• Take out trash
• Remove everything that's out--soap dish, shampoo bottles, etc.
• Polish mirror
• Scrub sink/vanity
• Scrub tub
• Scrub toilet
• Floors:
  1. sweep
  2. mop
  3. scrub grout
  4. scrub baseboards
• Dust/rinse off everything that has been taken out and put back
• Wash bath mat

Regular Extras

• Clean vent
• Wash out waste-paper basket
• Wipe light fixtures
• Replace soap
• Wipe off door knob
• Wipe around light switch

Spring Cleaning Extras--1 or 2x/year or as needed

• Organize under-sink cabinets--take everything out, wipe shelves or bottom of cabinet, wipe off or wash, and return
• Organize medicine cabinets--take everything out, wipe shelves or bottom of cabinet, wipe off or wash, and return
• Wash walls
• Scrub wall tiles in shower

Am I the Only Person in the Whole World that Thinks Making the Bed is Just Too Hard?

This morning was one of those mornings that you get up and think: Presumably there's a reason people get out of bed, but it's slipped my mind just now.

After years of extensive research, I've discovered that if I keep both feet simultaneously on the floor, I can do everything I'm required to do in the morning, nevermind I look like an extra on Night of the Living Dead; the only one who sees is Alpay and he got used to the Scary Morning Shuffle years ago.  

That said, my latest obsession is with morning routines, and the fact that people actually have them. Last week, after I confessed my inability to make my bed, two friends wrote with suggestions, ranging from pulling the sheets up and straightening the covers while still in the bed to bed-making  "the European way." "You gently waft the comforter over the fitted sheet and Voila! Instant Made Bed!" my friend wrote.  

Thus encouraged, I decided I would try the make-your-bed-while-in-bed technique.  But then morning came, and  . . . . let's see . . .  there was something I was supposed to remember but . . .

And I was up and doing the Scary Morning Shuffle before I remembered I was supposed to have made the bed while I was still in it.  I considered the European Method but rejected it, having already fit in my morning aerobics by doing the Shuffle, and my morning weight lifting was covered from brushing my teeth. 

Well, heck.  Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.  Or then again:  maybe not.  

Division of Labor

Call me nosy, but in my view few topics are as diverting as the agreements other people make to divvy up chores.  Like most things that are truly interesting, it’s a tough topic to broach. It always amazes me that people can drone on and on about what political candidate or stock offering they favor, but good luck finding out just who scrubs the grout in the bathroom. 

And yet:  people want to know, desperately, and not just people who have organization blogs.  People wonder how others negotiate household division of labor.  Who does the dishes, who the laundry, and how is this decided?  Does the person who objects the least or is bothered the most end up doing the chore?  Or are the chores split 50-50 down the middle?  Is there a work-outside-the-home/work-inside-the-home ratio?

For us, we’ve found that down-the-middle chore splitting does not work at all, partly because there are chores that one of us passionately cares about while the other could care less, and partly there are things one or the other of us simply isn’t very good at.  There are also things that one of us enjoys that the other one hates.

Because it is widely known that People Who Blog Have No Shame, here is my list of who-does-what:

Alpay:

• Clean cat box daily
• Deal with all things financial:  bills, checking account, stocks, etc.
• Do dishes 80% of the time
• Do all errands—groceries, hardware, supplies, cat food, etc.
• Deal with the car—oil changes, washing, etc.
• Cook 20% of the time
• Morning chores:  feed and water the cats, take out garbage, make tea, water plants
• Sweep 50% of the time
• Clean refrigerator 70% of the time

Anne-Marie:

• Clean bathrooms
• Do laundry—sort, wash, iron, fold, put away
• Do dishes 20% of the time
• Do all project work:  paint, supervise construction, clean filters, organize closets and drawers
• Put groceries away
• File
• Do most non-daily work:  polish silver, mirrors, and windows, clean baseboards, scrub sinks, mop, polish furniture, clean stove and microwave
• Cook 50% of the time (the rest of the time we go out)
• Make lunches
• Sweep 50% of the time
• Clean refrigerator 30% of the time